The following editorial was contributed by one of our readers.
The American niqab
I work in a place that encourages political discussions. People will walk in off the street to specifically talk politics. This week a slight, soft spoken middle-aged woman, obviously a professional, came in and by way of introduction said, half questioning, “I’m not wearing a mask…?” I assured her that she didn’t need to wear a mask. She then went on to explain she was relatively new to the area and a physician. “You’re a physician?” I asked. She introduced herself and said she was a chiropractor and added “our world’s gone crazy”. We started exchanging talking points, feeling each other out on respective positions on COVID 19 and masking until, apparently feeling safe to share, she switched to serious talk.
“I’m from Iran. My parents got out when the mullahs took over. The thing I hear that bothers me most when people talk about why they wear masks is “I do it out of respect”. That’s what they said about the hijab”. That hit me. I’d recently heard those exact words from a family member – “I do it out of respect” – when we’d finally agreed the mask use we’re seeing was essentially useless against COVID 19 and he ended the conversation with “I do it because people are just so afraid”.
I didn’t make the hijab connection the physician had until recently when I read someone else’s perspective likening this perfunctory habit of COVID face covering to the Iranian enforcement of Muslim ‘modesty’ laws, the masking of individual traits, which includes wearing the face veil, the niqab. The masking of individuality is not unique to Muslim cultures, but in all cases the enforced uniformity in clothing, personal appearance, mannerisms, speech, have only one purpose – erasure of individual expression in all aspects of life. And if the cultural shoves of punishments for defying the modesty laws don’t work, fear and terrorism are used to ‘encourage’ compliance.
Iran is known for the intelligence of her people, the rich deep history of respect for learning, ingenuity and invention, and pride in their ancient civilization and culture. So when the people of Iran push back against the mullah government, word always gets out about who’s pushing back and why. Often it’s Iranian women who speak out boldly and passionately about the tyrannical methods used to silence them, force them to fade away, to comply with the demand to wear the niqab (covers the entire face except the eyes; usually worn with the hijab), the hijab (covers the head and neck) and burqa (covers the head, face and body), to submit to the violent ‘disciplinary’ actions of the religious enforcers, or face death if they will not. In the 40 years since the mullahs were handed control by the CIA and other US operatives Iranians repeatedly rise up against censorship, surveillance and harassment by the ruling religious class. Since May of this year alone 11 Iranian citizens have been sentenced to death for taking part in last November’s anti-government protests.
Enforcement of the wearing of the American niqab, the COVID facemask, is overtaking us and more and more we hear “It’s just a mask” or “just wear it when you’re outside”, or “do it out of respect”. We can’t ignore the turn of the COVID mask to a fashion and a political statement. Masks are now made out of any type of fabric, color coordinated to your other clothing, or bearing a printed political statement. Americans, including government officials, have been enthusiastic about embracing masking compliance for its own sake and are passionately applying harassment, surveillance and reprisal on all who will not submit, and are willingly becoming the American equivalent of the Muslim religious enforcers. Iranians know that silence in the face of such willful cultic behaviour always results in violence. Refuse to be silent. Refuse to be compliant.
